Powerless penguins: storm puts exhibit on hold

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(KMOV) -- Residents around the Metro area weren't the only ones dealing with the aftermath of last weekend's powerful storms - some of the animals at the St. Louis Zoo had their own experiences with the bad weather, too.
The weekend storm knocked out power for the penguins and puffins at the zoo. The inside of the exhibit is now closed, and generators are keeping the birds at a cool 45 degrees.
According to Zoo officials, no animals were injured, but the electrical damage is extensive. "Basically, water from the torrential downpours we had made its was into some electrical conduit," says Michael Macek of the St. Louis Zoo. "There must have been a crack in it, and made its way into some major electrical panels in the Puffin Coast and caused an electrical fire."
Zoo officials say they hope to have the penguin and puffin exhibit repaired and re-opened by next week.

Penguin chicks make debut at zoo

Associated Press

April 18, 2010

Wichita — Sedgwick County Zoo officials are showing off the latest addition to their flock, a pair of Humboldt penguin chicks.
The birds, named Chick 1 and Chick 2, were shown off this past week to the media in Wichita. They are the first Humboldt penguins to be born at the zoo.
“There is a lot of drama in our penguins,” said Joe Barkowski, the zoo’s curator of birds, after the camera-shy penguins refused to come out to meet reporters.
There are 14 adult penguins at the zoo’s Cessna Penguin Cove. Within a few weeks, there is a chance that two more chicks may hatch.
Sedgwick County Zoo officials have been planning for the new arrivals for two years, determining which adult pair was best suited for parenthood. The penguin program is part of the species survival plans monitored by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
“The SSPs give us guidance on genetic and demographic pairings and which are the best to breed,” Barkowski said.
One pair of the zoo’s penguins who mated this winter were placed low on the reproduction priority list.
“Their offspring wouldn’t be beneficial to the species’ survival,” Barkowski said.
As a result, their eggs were taken from them and replaced with fake eggs.
Another couple of penguins placed high in desirability, he said. One of their eggs was given to the first couple to raise.
“We were hedging our bets that they would each hatch one and put all their energy into one chick to increase the survivability of both chicks,” he said.
The chicks hatched within days of each other in late March. When Chick 1 hatched, the foster parents didn’t know what to do. Zoo staff stepped in and helped to keep the chick strong and active until the adults figured out their role as parents.
“Both pairs of penguins had never raised chicks before,” Barkowski said. “Mom and Dad just didn’t get it. They were protective. They incubated. They did everything right. They just were not giving the chick enough food.”
Chick 2 hatched soon after the first and ate with no issues, he said.Source

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Each year, on or about the 25th of April, the Adelie penguins of Ross Island leave their brooding grounds and swim to their winter sanctuary northwest of the Balleny Islands. Some decided to mark the occasion by including all penguins and dubbing the day World Penguin Day.

Most penguins do participate in migratory habits. Why they favor some places more than others as their destination is the current work of biologists. Current belief is that the Adelies favor a place that has more pack ice, thereby providing more protection. This appears to be true, as the Davis Station Adelies migrate north, then west, staying close to the Antarctic continent. The Magellanic penguins of South America travel to Mar del Plata, where usually there is more food and less harsh conditions; however, in the past few years, the Magels have suffered many losses due to inadequate food. The Falkland Island Rockhopper Penguins have traditionally migrated to coastal South America, and the northernmost of the colonies favored the areas along the Patagonian Shelf. The Macaronis stay in the sub-Antarctic area, mostly at sea, during their migration from their breeding grounds.

These are just a few instances of penguin migration; the point is that they do migrate and when they do, this action initiates the end of the breeding season and the beginning of a new life in the vast southern ocean for thousands of newly molted juveniles. Welcome to your world, little guys. Bon voyage!!!

The penguins at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens had a party recently and invited more than 500 of their closest friends.

While the penguins sported their formal tuxedos, the guests, who donated a minimum of $175 to attend, dressed in a combination of black and white to honor their hosts.

It was all in the name of ExZOOberation, the zoo's largest adult evening fundraiser, now in its 15th year.
To date, the annual event has raised more than $2.2 million that supports the care for 1,400 animals, helps to maintain the gardens and contributes to the zoo's educational programs and conservation initiatives.

The zoo's new Magellanic penguin exhibit was featured this year, and the seven birds did not disappoint. They frolicked freely around "Tuxedo Coast" and swam playfully up to the viewing window to greet guests.
And they have not disappointed on another front, either.

The zoo's director of animal programs, Delfi Messenger, said she observed breeding behavior, which may soon lead to new additions to the exhibit.

This news complemented the Penguin Adoption Package that was up for auction and included the right to name any offspring through 2011. It was one of many packages auctioned either live or through silent bidding. Others included Gorilla and Lion Adoption Packages and an African Safari, as well as items and services from local businesses that included everything from home landscaping to a jersey autographed by Tim Tebow. The live auction brought in $30,000.

"This is THE party of the year," said Diane David, the zoo's director of development. "Thanks to our volunteer chairs and committee, the evening was beautiful, we had a good turnout and I think everyone had a fantastic time - all to benefit our wonderful Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens."

Lovelorn: Pepper, a Magellanic penguin at the San Francisco Zoo, has mostly kept to himself since his breakup (Cindy Chew/The Examiner)

Jilted zoo penguin fails to find love this season

By: Katie Worth April 25, 2010

SAN FRANCISCO — Love has not proven to be in the stars this year for penguin Pepper.

The Magellanic penguin — famously dumped by his long-term same-sex partner Harry for recently widowed female penguin Linda last year — did not find new love this breeding season, according to his keepers at the San Francisco Zoo.

In fact, Pepper has not been acting entirely himself lately, said zookeeper Anthony Brown. While the other single penguins at the exhibit have been running around in pairs or cliques, forging friendships or budding romances with other penguins, Pepper has mostly stayed in his borrow, keeping to himself.

When he does leave his borrow, he’s frequently confronted with lingering tension with his ex, Harry, and his rival, Linda.

Brown said the tension hasn’t devolved into the “all-out brawl” that took place right after the breakup last year, which required zookeepers to separate the animals for several weeks. However, because Harry and Linda have a neighboring borrow to Pepper’s, the penguins frequently run into each other and will often take aggressive postures and stare each other down, according to the zookeeper.

Meanwhile, Harry and Linda are incubating an egg, but the egg will likely be reared by another penguin couple, because of lingering concern over a respiratory infection Harry suffered over the winter.

Harry and Pepper had been one of San Francisco Zoo’s most devoted couples for several years, and they successfully reared a chick, Chuck Norris, two years ago. But after Linda’s partner died, she and Harry began spending more time together. By the time the breeding season began last year, Harry had chosen Linda over Pepper.

Pick up a penguin

Blackfooted penguins at London Zoo England UK Photograph: Alamy

Meerkats may come and go, but penguins remain perennially popular – and the collection of penguins at London zoo, including both black-footed and rockhopper penguins – are one of its biggest draws. Drop by at 2pm when the penguins are fed, and there's a chance to learn more about what they eat (fish, down in one gulp), the different species and where they live. The zoo also has a brand new rainforest attraction built inside a giant dome, where monkeys, sloths, anteaters and birds roam free.

Friday, April 23, 2010

Macaroni penguin eggs at the Tennessee Aquarium

(Above) Paulie is seen protecting his mate's first egg of 2010.

(Above) Paulie and Chaos have been very diligent penguin parents in the past, raising last year's chick Pepper. So far they have kept their first egg 48 hours. Last year, they crushed their first egg in the nest within a day.

Wow! The Tennessee Aquarium's gentoo and macaroni penguins just received the rocks they use to build nests on April 1st and there have already been four eggs laid! All of them are macaroni eggs, so don't get too excited about baby penguins just yet. As our penguin keepers explain, macaroni penguins usually have a clutch of two eggs. But the first egg is about 60 percent smaller than the second egg that is laid. Macaronis will usually boot the first egg out of their nest or crush it. This seems to be nature's way of focusing efforts on the egg with the greatest chance of survival to adulthood.

Gentoo penguins on the other hand, lay eggs of roughly the same size. It's possible that a gentoo pair could raise two chicks in one season. So far, the gentoos have been a little more leisurely about building nests and laying eggs. However, aviculturists Amy Graves and Loribeth Aldrich believe that since a few eggs are showing up in the exhibit, more nest building and courtship will be taking place.

Here are the first three installments of the Tennessee Aquarium's "Love on the Rocks - Season Two" webisodes. This will help catch you up on what's turning out to be a rather fast-paced nesting season.

Mating season has started for the Gentoo penguins at Edinburgh Zoo and the hunt for the best nest and the perfect pebbles to fill it has begun.

The famous penguin enclosure at Edinburgh Zoo is a hive of activity at the moment as mating season for the Gentoo penguin has begun. There are three different species of penguin on display at the zoo. Penguin keeper Lesley Garland definitely has her hands full with her feathered friends.

Lesley said: “We’ve got three species of penguins here the tallest and the most colourful ones are our King penguins, they’ve got the lovely orange patches on either side of their heads. The main nesting site is the Gentoo penguins they have a little white band that runs across the top of their heads from eye to eye and the smallest penguins we have are our Rockhoppers and they have the lovely yellow crest on the top of their head.”

The popular penguin parade features all three penguin species and is enjoyed by visitors of all ages. It’s the first zoo in the world to exhibit the king penguins, which is why the king penguin is on the zoo logo, and they are always very popular with the public particularly when they come out on parade. Funnily enough, the parade was actually started by mistake in 1951 when the penguins went for a walk then returned to their enclosure after a gate was left open.

The Gentoo breeding season is the busiest time for the penguin keepers and it is definitely their favourite time of year when they get the chance to see the penguins busy working to welcome their new chicks. Now the public can see the special event too as the zoo have installed a webcam into the nesting area which captures all the goings on.

Lesley said: “The Gentoo have just started their nest building they would build nests in the wild as well but here at Edinburgh zoo we give them concrete nests ring and then we will put piles of pebbles within the enclosure and they will collect the pebbles and fill up the nest rings themselves and its all part of their courtship display.
“Not only does it help keep the eggs and the chicks up off the ground and keep the nest nice and secure its part of the courtship, the males will select pebbles and offer them too the females and the females. If they like the pebbles will take them off the males and tuck them into the nest,” she added.

The pebbles are an important part of the mating ritual and the best pebbles are highly sought after. The penguins like smooth, round pebbles or flat pebbles, no jagged edges that could damage the eggs. The Hour logo was painted on to one of the pebbles and they will keep track of the pebble as it moves nests through out the breeding season.

Lesley said: “There is a lot of rivalry that goes on there’s a lot of rivalry over the nest sites initially and them over the pebbles… they are quite happy to steal pebbles from other nests if they like the look of a particular pebble particularly if the owners attention is distracted else where, they will just come straight in and whip any pebble out that they fancy.”

The zoo already has 95 eggs and is hoping to see the same successful breeding season as they did last year, where they had over 100. The chicks are due in May and the zoo is keen to share this exciting event via the webcam.

Michael Costa/Daily Journal
‘Pierre the Penguin’ illustrator Laura Regan, 60 of Woodside, reads the children’s book to a group of San Francisco Day School kindergartner’s in the African Hall at the California Academy of Sciences.

Five-year-olds sat quietly while eagerly giving a little thumbs-up sign with their arms raised in the air, all in hopes of getting an answer from California Academy of Sciences biologist Pamela Schaller about penguins.

“Why do they like to wiggle their tales,” one kindergarten student from San Francisco Day School asked.

Schaller, who was in the penguin exhibit using a microphone to answer giggled, “I like watching them wiggle too.”

Shaking excess water off is the main reason behind the wiggle. Learning that was one of the many things about 40 children had the chance to learn yesterday morning when the academy debuted “Pierre the Penguin, A True Story.” The tale, written by Jean Marzollo and illustrated by Woodside artist Laura Regan, tells the tale of 27-year-old Pierre. In 2007, Pierre began losing his feathers presenting a problem for the bird which was then unable to stay warm.

“One day aquatic biologist Pam, observing the penguins, saw one in a jam,” Regan read aloud from the book. “Gently, gently, she examined Pierre. His feathers were gone. His bottom was bare.”

Pierre’s bare bum led to mocking from others in the colony. Schaller, with the help of a veterinarian, began testing out therapies but Pierre was still losing feathers. Noting that her dog wears a rain coat, Schaller asked about designing a wet suit for Pierre. It was the special wet suit — which now sits in a clear box left of the penguin exhibit at the academy — that allowed Pierre to regrow his feathers.

Regan, 60, heard the story of Pierre and his wet suit while visiting the academy. There was interest in turning the story into a book and Regan loved the idea.

“It’s a total gift to be able to do a story really about a local hero,” she said.

Creating the children’s book took some time. Aside from the writing, Regan worked for about one month planning her art work then seven doing the large paintings. She and the author were able to visit the penguins.

Regan took photos to work with and even returned to get different action shots of the penguins who would star in the book which officially went on sale yesterday.

The book was kind of like a gift to Pierre, since it finished on his birthday, Feb. 16.

Pierre seemed unfazed by his new-found publishing fame yesterday.

He and his girlfriend Homey, whom he started dating in 2006 three years after losing his long-time partner Ursula, hung out in their nest. The couple claimed the area under a rock in the upper left hand corner.

Those who visit in hopes of seeing Pierre should know he dons a blue band on his right wing. Don’t confuse him with his grandson, Dyer, who hangs in the same area wearing a blue wingband with a white stripe.

To view more of Laura Regan’s work visit www.LauraRegan.com. To learn more about Pierre or the California Academy of Sciences visit www.calacademy.org. “Pierre the Penguin” sells for $15.95.

“Pierre the Penguin: A True Story” Launches at CalAcademy – The Best Book Reading Ever

Wetsuits and and live animals – that’s what all book readings should have. And that’s the way it was this morning at our California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park when the new book “Pierre the Penguin: A True Story“ made its debut.
And the reviews are in.

The bird himself, back when he needed a jacket:After a thumbs up from the kids…
..it was time for a penguin feeding:
And there he is, famous Pierre, in the middle. His feathers growed back…
…so he no longer has a need for his wetsuit:
Here are the deets:

“When Pierre – an elderly penguin at the California Academy of Sciences – begins to go bald, the staff is worried. Without his feathers, Pierre is too cold to swim. He also looks different from the rest of the colony, so the other penguins begin to pick on him. Academy biologists try every treatment in the books to prompt new feather growth, but none of the traditional strategies work. Finally, aquatic biologist Pam Schaller has an idea: why not fit the shivering bird with a neoprene wetsuit to keep him warm? She designs a tiny wetsuit especially for Pierre, but will it work? Told in rhyme by noted I SPY author Jean Marzollo, and paired with gorgeous paintings from acclaimed wildlife artist Laura Regan, this inspirational true story comes to life.”

Sisters Ashley, right, and Allison Welter from Winchester, Va., enjoy the new Penguin Playhouse exhibit at Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies in Gatlinburg on Tuesday. The 4,000-square-foot permanent addition, which opened Tuesday, features 18 African black-foot penguins.

GATLINBURG - It was a nose-to-beak Tuesday at Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies as the attraction opened its $5 million Penguin Playhouse exhibit.

People stared at penguins.

Penguins - often just a step away - stared back.

The aquarium marked 10 years in Gatlinburg by officially opening the 4,000-square-foot permanent addition featuring African black-foot penguins. Located where the aquarium's Veranda Restaurant was, the natural habitat is the aquarium's biggest and most expensive change.

The 18 penguins living in the exhibit belong to the Species Survival Plan of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, which oversees the animals' location and reproduction. Another dozen birds will join the exhibit in coming weeks.

Designed like a rocky beach, Penguin Playhouse encompasses a 30,000-gallon, 59-degree saltwater tank and multiple above-water and underwater views for visitors. A clear acrylic window in the aquarium floor allows visitors to watch the birds swim through an underwater tunnel between the indoor and outside sections of their home.

But the habitat also gives visitors willing to get on their hands and knees an in-exhibit advantage point. Two clear acrylic underwater tunnels are part of the habitat's indoor section. They bend up into an acrylic, above-water bubble that overlooks the penguin's fabricated rock bench.

On Tuesday the more children who crawled through the tunnel and up to the bubble, the more penguins congregated around the bubble to watch the humans. But no bird was still for long. The penguins glided through the water, circled manmade rocks and dived to the habitat's bottom.

"This is really a perfect fit," Aquarium General Manager Ryan DeSear said. "I guarantee you nobody will come out of there (the exhibit) that's not smiling."

Monday, April 19, 2010

For Penguins, a Satellite Census

Emperor penguin colonies, like this one on Cape Roget, are widely spaced in Antarctica, making it difficult to conduct a census of the birds.

MCMURDO, Antarctica—Bird-watcher Philip Trathan is counting the emperor penguins here—from space.
In the first complete census of these well-known birds, the British wildlife ecologist and his colleagues are scanning high-resolution satellite photos of Antarctica for penguins, like military analysts searching for Iranian rocket sites. In fact, their precision imagery comes from the U.S. National Geospatial Intelligence Agency. The photos are part of the roughly $25 million of commercial satellite images the agency buys every month for use by the Central Intelligence Agency and the Defense Department.

Researchers are using satellite data to track penguins and seals across the coldest region on earth without disturbing them - and without leaving home. WSJ's Robert Lee Hotz reports.

"You can count individual birds," said Dr. Trathan, a penguin ecologist at the British Antarctic Survey, who is part of an international census team.

Their penguin census, which will be completed later this year, is the latest application of satellite mapping techniques that are transforming perceptions of Antarctica, where millions of square miles of ice blend into a wilderness of white, and only penguins are truly at home. In many ways, this shifting snowscape is as uncharted as the day explorers first sighted its mainland almost 200 years ago.

"Until last year, we had better maps of Mars than of Antarctica," said Paul Morin, director of the University of Minnesota's Antarctic Geospatial Information Center, which is funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation to use the unclassified intelligence imagery in science projects like the penguin survey. "We can now see one of the most inaccessible places on Earth, on demand," Mr. Morin said.

A Landsat image shows a guano stain at upper right from large emperor penguins in Antarctica.

With the newest high-resolution imagery, researchers can detect anything on the continent larger than an end table. At that scale, a four-foot-tall, 90-pound emperor penguin is just large enough to show up in a single pixel. Dressed by nature in darkly formal feather-wear, an emperor penguin stands out in high contrast against the ice, even when viewed by a camera moving at four miles a second in an orbit 423 miles overhead.

Still, the emperor penguins complicate the count by huddling together for warmth. On an especially cold day, as many as 10 of them can cram together on a square meter of ice—a space slightly larger than a single pixel. "If you have so many pixels of penguins," said mapping expert Peter Fretwell at the British Antarctic Survey, "you have to decide how many penguins per pixel." Wildlife biologists estimate the count will turn up between 200,000 and 400,000 breeding pairs.

Living across the continent's 5.4 million square miles of polar ice, the emperor penguins are a bellwether that can help researchers detect subtle changes in climate and ocean conditions affecting all of Antarctica. Other penguin species wax and wane in response to changing regional winds, temperature trends and commercial fishing. But so far, no one knows how emperor penguins have responded to the changes, because there has been no easy way to find them all.

"Emperors are a really tricky species to get a handle on," said Dr. Trathan. "At the moment, nobody really knows how threatened emperor penguins really are."
It's no wonder. The birds make themselves at home in two of Earth's most inaccessible environments. No other bird dives deeper underwater, as far as 1,500 feet. No other creature breeds on the sea ice during Antarctica's winter darkness, when temperatures drop to 80 degrees below zero and winds top 100 mph.

For years, field biologists based here at the U.S. McMurdo Station have tracked meandering emperors, bobbing like off-balance bowling pins, as they slip, slide and belly-flop over ridges of wind-rippled snow.
They have stood on stepladders to count the birds in congested formations, and hung cameras from helium-filled balloons to record their numbers more reliably.

They have bugged penguins with radio transmitters and shadowed them by jet with airborne infrared sensors that could detect a birds' body heat at a distance. Such techniques proved too intrusive and expensive for a systematic census.

The new census is not the first time penguin watchers have tried satellites. By chance, researchers last year discovered they could detect vast stains of penguin excrement on the ice using older low-resolution satellite images. That revealed the locations of 38 emperor colonies, 10 of them never seen before, Dr. Trathan and his colleagues reported last June in the journal Global Ecology and Biogeography.

Still, they couldn't actually see any penguins until they gained access to the newest images, which the intelligence agency buys from commercial satellite operators DigitalGlobe Inc. in Longmont, Colo., and GeoEye Inc. in Dulles, Va..

Scientists hope the newest images will allow them to study emperor penguins without disturbing them—and without leaving their home laboratories.

"If you can do it from space," said Dr. Trathan, "you can do it from your desk."

Widowed emperor penguin moving to Taipei for mates

TAIPEI, Taiwan -- The widowed emperor penguin in the National Museum of Marine Biology & Aquarium (NMOMBA) in Pingtung will be moved to Taipei Zoo at the end of March, so that the penguin can mate with other emperor penguins in the Taipei Zoo.NMOMBA originally had a pair of emperor penguins. Since the female penguin died two years ago, the male penguin became the zoo's sole emperor penguin and has been living with the other penguin species in the zoo.
In the mating season last year, seeing all the other penguins mating and laying eggs, the penguin found an egg-shaped stone and incubated it. People at the NMOMBA do not want the penguin to bear loneliness any longer. They have decided to send their only emperor penguin to the Taipei Zoo so that it can have some company.

Li Jan-Jung, spokesperson of NMOMBA, said since the female emperor penguin died, they had wanted to import another mate for the male penguin from Russia. After the H1N1 outbreak, however, there were many more restrictions on importing birds. Knowing that the Taipei Zoo is very experienced in penguins, and that they already have some emperor penguins, they have decided to move the penguin there.

The future offspring of the male emperor penguin will be divided by the two zoos. The first one will stay at Taipei Zoo, the second one will go to NMOMBA.

Emperor penguin is the tallest and heaviest of the living penguin species and is endemic to Antarctica. They are serially monogamous. They stay faithful to only one mate each year. After the females lay the eggs, they transfer the egg to the males for incubation for 64 consecutive days.

Associated Press - April 17, 2010 3:54 PM ET
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) - Sedgwick County Zoo officials are showing off the latest addition to their flock, a pair of Humboldt penguin chicks.
The birds, named Chick 1 and Chick 2, were shown off this past week to the media in Wichita. They are the first Humboldt penguins to be born at the zoo.
There are 14 adult penguins at the zoo's Cessna Penguin Cove in addition to the two chicks. Within a few weeks, there is a chance that two more penguins may hatch.
Sedgwick County Zoo officials have been planning for the new arrivals for two years, determining which adult pair was best suited for parenthood.
The chicks hatched within days of each other in late March.
Information from: The Wichita Eagle: http://www.kansas.com

For now, they are known as Chick 1 and Chick 2. If all goes well, they may soon be joined by Chick 3 and Chick 4. Chick 1 and Chick 2 are the first Humboldt penguins hatched at the Sedgwick County Zoo.
On Thursday, during their media debut, the two chicks refused to come out for the cameras, standing firmly behind Mom and Dad, offering only downy, shadowy glimpses of themselves.
"There is a lot of drama in our penguins," said Joe Barkowski, the zoo's curator of birds.
The zoo's Cessna Penguin Cove currently has 14 adult penguins — plus the two babies. Within a few weeks, there is a strong possibility two more penguins may hatch, Barkowski said.
Sedgwick County Zoo participates with other zoos in species survival plans, which are monitored by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
Sedgwick County Zoo officials began planning more than a year ago which penguin parents would be the most suitable to reproduce.
"The SSPs give us guidance on genetic and demographic pairings and which are the best to breed," Barkowski said.
One pair of the zoo's penguins who mated this winter were placed low on the reproduction priority list.
"Their offspring wouldn't be beneficial to the species' survival," Barkowski said.
So, their eggs were taken from them and replaced with fake eggs.
Another couple of penguins placed high in desirability, he said. One of their eggs was given to the first couple to raise.
"We were hedging our bets that they would each hatch one and put all their energy into one chick to increase the survivability of both chicks," he said.
On March 21, Chick 1 was hatched. But the foster parents didn't know what to do.
"Both pairs of penguins had never raised chicks before," Barkowski said. "Mom and Dad just didn't get it. They were protective. They incubated. They did everything right. They just were not giving the chick enough food."
So, zoo staff stepped in and gave the tiny chick enough food to keep it strong and active. Within a few days, Mom and Dad became more confident in their parenting.
In the meantime, Chick 2 hatched. From its birth, it ate and ate and ate.
The two chicks now weigh about 2 1/2 pounds. When fully grown, they will weigh closer to 8 pounds.
Barkowski said that as the chicks mature, they will begin to explore the exhibit and the public should be able to catch more glimpses of them.
The public may notice that none of the adult penguins are swimming much in their pool, he said. That's because they are nesting.
The adult penguins will occasionally come and take dips in the pool — and with them, perhaps there will be a sighting of a baby penguin.

Adoptive Parents Save Endangered Penguin Chick

Quick thinking and action by staff at Denver Zoo and Pueblo Zoo probably saved the life of an African penguin chick. On March 20, four days past its due date, the chick was assisted with emerging from its shell by Pueblo Zoo Animal Care Coordinator Melanie Pococke. Pococke then sought help from Denver Zoo staff in caring for the tiny bird, when the hatchling’s biological parents at Pueblo Zoo were unable to care for it.

Zookeepers from each zoo met halfway to bring the chick to Denver Zoo where it was placed under the care of experienced parents. The chick’s surrogate father, Durban, and mother, Spencer, are now taking excellent care of their adopted youngster.Zookeepers always prefer animals are raised by their parents or surrogates of the same species. This helps ensure they have the skills to raise their own young. Upon receiving the chick, Durban and Spencer immediately began “brooding” the chick by covering it with their bodies and wings for protection and quickly began feeding it.Photo Credits: Photo Credit: Greg Henry/Denver Zoo

“It has been a great collaboration. We are fortunate to have such a strong network of experienced bird caretakers within our Colorado Zoos,” says Pococke, who has been involved with raising 47 penguin chicks in her 20-year career at the Pueblo Zoo.

“We had to act quickly in order for this to be a success,” says Area Supervisor of Birds Mary Jo Willis. “We’re so pleased to be able to help Pueblo Zoo on this project. We’re thrilled that the surrogate parents took to the chick so quickly.”

The chick will continue to be brooded and fed by the surrogate parents for about 3 months while the chick is covered in soft insulating feathers.During this time it is not visible to the public. Even in the wild, newly hatched penguins chicks don’t venture near water because they are covered with soft, downy feathers that provide good insulation on land, but would get soaked in the water. Eventually, though young penguins molt and grow in stiffer water repellant plumage.

African penguins are found in southern Africa. Although most people associate penguins with frigid temperatures, African penguins enjoy warmer weather. Even they have their limits, though. In the wild are mostly crepuscular – meaning, they are most active at dawn and dusk when temperatures are more comfortable in their warm weather climate.

They grow to more than two-feet-tall and can weigh around 10 pounds. Their black and white patterns are unique to each penguin, like fingerprints on humans. More important, though the patterns serve as camouflage from predators in the wild as they are swimming. Seen from above, their dark backs blend in with the water. Seen from below, their white bellies blend in with the sky above.

The African penguin is listed as vulnerable by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN). They nearly faced extinction because their eggs were harvested for food and their droppings, guano, are an important burrowing material, but is often used by humans for fertilizer.

They have also been subjected to oil spills from tankers rounding the South African coastline, which have wiped out entire colonies of this species. In the past, Denver Zoo has sent staff to Cape Town, South Africa to assist with a world wide effort following the “Treasure” oil spill that affected over 40,000 penguins in 2000. Staff helped rehabilitate penguins by cleaning oil off their bodies and monitoring their health through lab and blood work. Of the penguins brought in for rehabilitation more than 95 percent were saved!

Penguin couple adopt baby African penguin born at another zoo

Cooperation between two zoos in Colorado has helped save a newborn African penguin, a species that is classified as "vulnerable" to a high risk of extinction in the wild, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN).
On March 20 at the Pueblo Zoo, the African penguin chick finally emerged from its shell -- four days past its due date, reports the Denver Post. When the tiny bird's biological parents couldn't care for it, Pueblo Zoo Animal Care Coordinator Melanie Pococke contacted the Denver Zoo.
"Zookeepers from each zoo met halfway to bring the chick to Denver Zoo where it was placed under the care of experienced parents," says the Denver Zoo in a statement. "The chick’s surrogate father, Durban, and mother, Spencer, are now taking excellent care of their adopted youngster."
The adoptive parents immediately began caring for the newborn by “brooding” the chick by covering it with their bodies and wings for protection and quickly began feeding it, says the Denver Zoo.
The chick will stay out of the public eye for the next three months as it "continues to be brooded and fed by the surrogate parents while the chick is covered in soft insulating feathers," according to the Denver Zoo. "Even in the wild, newly hatched penguins chicks don’t venture near water because they are covered with soft, downy feathers that provide good insulation on land, but would get soaked in the water," states the Denver Zoo. "Eventually, though young penguins molt and grow in stiffer water-repellent plumage."
In the wild, African penguins can be found in their native habitat, described as "24 islands and three mainland sites between Hollamsbird Island, Namibia, and Bird Island, Algoa Bay, South Africa," according to IUCN.
Over the last century, the population of wild African penguins have plummeted and is now 10% of what it used to be at the beginning of the 20th century, states the IUCN. "In the late 1970s, the population was estimated at 222,000 adults," states the IUCN. As of 2007, that number has dwindled to 72,000, and will continue decreasing at a rate of 17 to 51% over the next 20 years if there is no continuing rehabilitation, says the IUCN.
What's to account for African penguin's sharp decline in the wild? "Harvesting of eggs, reduction in the penguin’s food, removal of guano used by the penguins for burrowing sites and oil pollution from oil tankers," states the Denver Zoo.
Two oil spills in 1994 and 2000 are blamed for the killing of 30,000 African penguins. "Mortality from oilspills is serious and may increase if proposed development of harbours close to [African penguin] colonies proceeds," states the IUCN. "Most of the population is confined to just two areas, both near to major shipping ports."
African penguins are black and white in color, as are most penguins, but are distinguished by the pattern of their coloring, described as "a white stripe encircling a black cheek and throat and a black horseshoe-shaped stripe across the chest," as well as "featherless pink areas around their eyes."
They are also known as the Black-Footed Penguin, or more colorfully, as the Jackass Penguin because they make "donkey-like braying" noises during courtship

Live Blackfooted Penguins in HD - Monterey Bay Aquarium

Aquarium of the Pacific Live Penguin Cam

Listen to the Gentoo Purr

The Torgersen Island Penguin Camera

The Penguin Camera is located on Torgersen Island (64°46’S, 64°04’W), off the coast of Anvers Island and less than a mile from Palmer Station. Torgersen Island is home to a colony of Adélie penguins numbering approximately 2,500. This camera is seasonal and operates primarily from October to February, the Adélie breeding season. The camera is solar-powered and may sometimes experience brief outages due to inclement weather. School classrooms and other educational demonstrations will often take control of the camera, moving it to gain better views of the colony.